Libya

Since the subject has come up on another thread (off topic there) how is it that NATO deems a civil war in Libya as a threat to western Europe and the US on par with the Iron Curtain countries that NATO was originally formed to counter? Who said we (the US) have to contribute manpower and treasure to intervene in a localized problem, is it in the NATO Charter that members MUST contribute, even if it goes counter to self interest? What IS our interest anyway beyond answering some wailing by a rebel that they want our (specifically US) help? What benefit is it to the US strategically other than a chance to exercise our arms, already proven? Hone tactics? Absurd, we get all of that we need in the 'stans and Iraqi sands.

I did NOT know that NATO had a humanitarian or anti insurrection component, or one to further "democracy" on a western model (ignoring for the nonce cultural and tribal precedence and preference.) Where are the blue helmets that might have a more logical reason to intervene? Why isn't NATO in Somalia? Or Liberia?

No Action Talk Only (unless it distracts from real problems elsewhere.)
Yeah, I know, most of the time I offer opinions and answers. All I have on this is questions. Sorry 'bout that.

Good questions. It is interesting to observe that in the last couple of years we seem to be snubbing our loyal friends and "hanging out" with new ones. It seems Britain and Israel feel very much that they have lost a great friend....America. It is confusing. It seems we are on the wrong team here lately.

Heraclitus:
“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”

Libya is a big supplier of European oil. "Follow the money", as always.
Syria, Ivory Coast, other hotspots of rebellion and violence? No oil..... No NATO/US involvement.

Please use correct English. Show the world Americans aren't illiterate.
There, their, they're are different words. Use them properly.
Lose and loose have different meanings.
"Im" and "Ill" mean nothing without the apostrophe.
Capitalization and punctuation are your friends.
Text-speak and hashtags get you into the ignore list.
Commas are NOT your friend when used in large herds......

calling the libyan revolution 'democratic' is generous to the point of blindness, and uncles motives are never pure.

loving that video ghrit. the backwards logic of the soft left never ceases to astound. i even heard one once admit that he knew he agreed with almost none of obama's policies and that obama was an imperialist but supported him anyway because the other options would be bad too and at least obama is 'one of us'(meaning, an 'intellectual'). he was willing to get on board with tax cuts for the very richest, 'health reform' that amounts to a direct payout to the profiteers of the status quo and ultimately even murder because the pitchman could string a pretty sentence together.

This is the part that I am watching very closely. I do believe that the Libyan rebels have good intentions at heart. What I don't trust is the rest of the parties that have a stake and possible future in this.

Libya has historically harbored terrorism and as BAT1 has pointed out, Libya has provided more than its fair share to the other two fronts. The same could be said about Yemen, Saudi, Syria, and many of the other countries that have been in protest lately. Most of the rebellion wants to make a decent living and a bit of freedom to pursue a little happiness The Shia and Christian minorities in Libya want religious freedoms and tolerance. Some forward thinking Sunnis want coexistence.

While good people are at the forefront of most of these rebellions, there are parties in the shadows like the Islamic Brotherhood. What they see is an Islamic Caliphate under one government. The rhetoric may sound familiar if you've spend anytime fighting these SOBs. The Islamic Brotherhood has international in footprint BTW. Anyone want to guess the other Sunni Arab countries where the Brotherhood has interest? The Libyan civil war is precisely what certain organizations look for to create a new foothold.

Lately, it appears that many of these rebellions have died down. Its going to be interesting to watch. Keep your eyes peeled. Watch the Iranian response as well. Any sort of conflict in the ME, N. Africa, or HOA takes pressure of Iran. Watch where the weapons are coming from. Iranian naval ships have been spotted in the Med (through Suez canal) lately... interesting since they have ZERO national interests there.

I'm rambling now....

"Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: [...] as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."Joshua 24:15

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"As a friend says, always reach first for the obvious answer in a puzzle. If you hear hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras."

I do believe that the Libyan rebels have good intentions at heart. What I don't trust is the rest of the parties that have a stake and possible future in this.

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Many of the Libyan rebels are fighting get something "better;" however, unfortunately bad leader gone does not necessarily mean good leader takes over.
Iran's wish is to be the "religious" leader of an alliance of radical Islamic nations. This alliance will have nuclear weapons, control of oil and also control of the shipping routes.
Iran will provide any rebels in the region with weapons and manpower which puts their boots on the ground.

Heraclitus:
“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”

His never go at all carried a lot less weight than 0bama's step in if there is a humanitarian crisis which immediately raised the will and spirits of the protesters in other nations in the region.

Heraclitus:
“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”